Current Procedural Terminology

If you’re working in or studying medical billing and coding, then you may have already heard of current procedural terminology (CPT). The Current procedural terminology codes are one of five medical code sets used by medical billers and coders to categorize important procedural data in the United States.

Read on to find out more about what these codes are, how they’re used and how you can build your understanding of CPT codes through our undergraduate certificate programs here at DeVry:

Current procedural terminology, often referred to as CPT, is a set of medical codes that categorizes surgical, medical and diagnostic services. Doctors, health insurance companies and accreditation organizations use these codes when notating or collecting data about procedures and to collect data. 

Anyone who works with medical codes within the United States, like physicians or medical billers and coders, should know CPT codes. If you plan to work in medical billing and coding specifically, you will need to learn CPT codes and become familiar with how to navigate the current procedural terminology database to accurately assign codes to the various procedures that happen in your care facility. Learning CPT codes is a standard part of medical billing and coding training.

You also need a working knowledge of CPT codes to pass the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and other certification exams within the medical billing and coding field. A knowledge of CPT may also be helpful if you’re working in hospital management or healthcare administration, as you will likely interact with some billing information.

Current procedural terminology codes are updated on an annual basis. The CPT editorial panel, made up of 21 medical professionals, meets three times a year to review applications for new codes and discuss revisions to existing ones. Approved codes then go into effect beginning January 1st of the following year.

As a code system, CPT codes are broken up into categories. Each category represents a different set of procedures and codes. Here’s a quick breakdown showing what each category is used for and what procedures or devices they represent: